


Under the Northern Lights

by AriadneKurosaki



Series: IchiRuki Month 2020 [3]
Category: Bleach
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Established Relationship, F/M, Fluff, Iceland, IchiRuki Month
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-03
Updated: 2020-08-15
Packaged: 2021-03-06 06:08:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,228
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25688590
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AriadneKurosaki/pseuds/AriadneKurosaki
Summary: Newlyweds Ichigo and Rukia travel to Iceland for their honeymoon.
Relationships: Kuchiki Rukia/Kurosaki Ichigo
Series: IchiRuki Month 2020 [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1858906
Comments: 16
Kudos: 34





	1. Under the Stars

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt: Day 3, Stars in Your Eyes

Ichigo and Rukia decide to go to Iceland for their honeymoon. It isn’t the easiest place to get to from Japan – the shortest trip is eighteen hours and includes a stop in London – but when Rukia finds out about the northern lights she can’t be dissuaded. And so, they plan a two-week trip in January as a belated honeymoon after their early Fall wedding.

The trip from Tokyo to Reykjavík is hellish. Isshin upgraded them to premium economy as a wedding gift and so they have two large seats to themselves. The first flight is _really_ long and Ichigo struggles to sleep. Rukia is thrilled with the entertainment system and watches cartoons most of the way. When the flight attendants learn they are newlyweds on their honeymoon there is suddenly extra champagne and Ichigo suspects that their food – served on fancier plates than he expected – was actually swiped from business class.

They arrive in Iceland late in the morning, collect their suitcases, and pick up their rental car, WiFi hotspot, and the personal locator beacons that Ichigo’s research recommended. Their plan is to drive along the Ring Road counterclockwise. Rukia has brought along a bulging folder with their travel itinerary, hotel reservations, and extra copies of their travel documents, “just in case”.

Their first stop is a lagoon partway to Reykjavík, and they spend several hours in the blue waters soaking away the feelings of being stuck in an airplane. The lagoon offers masks and other treatments, and Rukia has fun spreading silica and algae on her face while Ichigo sips a smoothie in a plastic cup and pretends he doesn’t have conditioner smothering his hair to keep the minerals in the water from turning it to straw. Steam rises from the water and hides the other tourists and this time of year – a lot of tourists are wary of swimming outside even though the water is delightfully warm – Ichigo can pretend that it’s just the two of them.

When Rukia drags him over to the hut in the middle of the lagoon and laughingly spreads silica over _his_ face, Ichigo just groans good-naturedly and makes faces at her until it dries. They find alcoves in the giant lagoon and when the water starts to get crowded later in the day they hide from the other guests in an alcove to snatch furtive kisses – which they immediately sputter away from, because they’ve gotten splashed and the mineral-filled water tastes _terrible._ Later, they drag themselves out of the water and do their best to escape from the frigid air as quickly as possible.

They shower and Ichigo drives them to Reykjavík. There, they check into their hotel and collapse into bed for several hours. Their good intentions of exploring the city are ruined by jet lag and hours of soaking in hot water, but later they find an Icelandic tapas restaurant that’s still open and experiment with dishes of Icelandic lamb and arctic char.

Instead they explore the next day, walking amongst colorfully painted houses while bundled against the bitter cold. Rukia makes friends with a cat that follows them up toward Hallgrímskirkja, and they take pictures against the backdrop of the marina. They shop for souvenirs – there are _many_ souvenir shops – and have fish for dinner before driving east early the following morning. Ichigo is thankful that there aren’t too many other cars: he isn’t used to driving on this side of the road. He has to explain this to Rukia when she gets bored and demands to know why he can’t drive faster. “Just be patient, midget, and tell me what exit I’m supposed to use,” Ichigo complains. Then he has to pull over because Rukia is thumping him on the head and he can’t drive like that.

The roads are clear despite the winter weather, and they have an easy drive to Thingvellir, where they walk across and around the drifting continental plates. Snow coats the ground and the lakes below them are half-frozen; it’s like being in a winter storybook. They hike the trails that are still open before driving to Geysir, where Rukia takes a cellphone video of Strokkur erupting. Steam rises in billowing clouds from the pools of hot water, and the world takes on an ethereal quality. There is a surprisingly well-equipped rest station across from Geysir, and they have a quick lunch before driving further east.

They stop to see Gullfoss, and Ichigo insists that they put on their new waterproof pants as the winter winds are blowing freezing cold water onto the other tourists. Rukia has brought a selfie stick, and they pose high above the falls with water roaring behind them, his orange hair a shock of bright color against the gray of the winter sky and the churning blue-gray of the falls. They clamber down to the cliff that overlooks the falls and let the churning waters spray mist in their hair. They are separated from the falls only by a thin rope, and when they take another photo it looks as though they are practically _in_ the water.

This time of year, Iceland gets dark early, and they’ve booked a hotel near the falls so that Ichigo won’t have to drive in pitch-dark to the south coast of the island. After a late dinner (not _nearly_ as good as the tapas place, they both agree), they bundle up again and, with a guide and a group of other guests, stroll outside into the cold. Their hotel is the only building for at least a mile around and once they get out of sight of the building it’s truly _dark_ : they need to use their phones as flashlights and the guide uses a camping lantern. Their hiking boots crunch down into the snow as they walk further from the hotel and find higher ground.

Ichigo and Rukia ignore the other tourists in favor of the star-filled night sky above their heads. “The stars don’t look like _this_ from Karakura,” Ichigo finds himself murmuring. It seems like there are thousands more stars in the sky than they can see from his hometown. Rukia hums her agreement and then she, too, is captivated by the sparkling lights above their heads.

As time passes and midnight approaches, the guide passes out hot cocoa in little cups and most of their fellow tourists huddle together for warmth. Rukia is, while not totally immune to the cold, much hardier than she looks and it’s Ichigo who tucks her closer so that _he_ can keep warm. Finally, a cry goes up from one of the other tourists: a wave of green light flows high in the sky above them. Rukia eagerly takes pictures as Ichigo holds her cocoa for her, and he grins at her cries of excitement when the aurora borealis grows stronger in the winter sky, shimmering amongst the stars.

Ichigo feels a tug on his hand and he looks down at Rukia. The stars of the Milky Way are reflected in her eyes and he grins as he leans down to kiss her, their lips brushing and then molding against one another. “Happy?” he asks against her mouth.

“Very,” she whispers back, and then they go back to staring at the stars.


	2. Tourists and Snow Will be the Death of Us

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ichigo and Rukia realize that the tourists are trying to kill them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Day 9, Us Against the World

Four days into their trip, Ichigo and Rukia are at Seljalandsfoss when they realize that the other tourists are out to kill them. They arrive in the parking area and Rukia is just getting out of the car when a mini tour bus careens by, nearly running her over on its way to the designated parking area. Ichigo yells – not that it matters, the bus just keeps going – and then opens the trunk of the car.

“Come on. We should put our crampons on here – the walk looks slippery,” he says. He drags over a plastic bin and pulls out two sets of the metal and rope contraptions. “And waterproof pants too, I think.”

Rukia smirks up at him, but obediently grabs for the smaller set of folded pants on the floor of the trunk and shimmies into them. “You’re such a nursemaid,” she teases.

“ _You_ were the one who showed me all those articles about tourists dying because they don’t wear the right gear,” Ichigo retorts, and grunts when she elbows him. “Now c’mon, give me your feet.”

Rukia hops onto the edge of the trunk and Ichigo expertly fastens the crampons to her hiking boots. He does the same for himself, pulling on the larger set of waterproof pants beforehand. Finally, he shuts the trunk and locks the car.

They hold hands as they stroll toward the roaring waterfall. Even just four days in, Rukia is convinced that she has never seen anything so beautiful each time they come to a new place on this wintry island in the north.

And Seljalandsfoss really does look like something out of a fairy tale: water pours from a tall hillside into a large basin of water so blue it _hurts_. The basin empties out into a shallow creek that Ichigo and Rukia walk alongside toward the falls. It feels a little awkward as they navigate the walk with shoes that have teeth.

It’s worth it, though, to stand in the shadow of the falls and watch thousands of gallons of water spill down before them. Icicles form on the cliff walls where water has sprayed and frozen. There are stairs leading into the alcove behind the falls, and their boots thunk against the metal structure. There’s a rocky path behind the falls and they stop there, letting the mist drift over them.

“Let me take a photo,” Rukia orders, and Ichigo smiles as she pulls out her phone and selfie stick. They pose with the pouring water behind them. She takes at least a dozen more photos – some of them are even of her husband and not just the scenery.

As they approach the other side of the basin, it becomes clear that the other tourists are a serious hazard. Half a dozen people are climbing up the makeshift stairway – which is really just a series of boulders lightly flattened on top – and clearly they did not read any of the guides that called for hiking boots, crampons, _or_ waterproof clothing.

“This isn’t going to go well,” Ichigo mutters to her. But he climbs up the first step.

Unfortunately, he’s right. Someone in front of him slips on the wet boulders and falls back toward him. There is nothing to grab onto for either of them so Ichigo just braces himself and catches a woman in an egregiously pink and fluffy parka, stumbling backward until Rukia’s hand pushes into his back and keeps him upright.

“Are you alright?” he asks, first in Japanese and then in English. When the woman he’s caught nods, he helps her to balance and then lets go. A second tourist slips, and Ichigo sighs. “Here – can I?” They’re all staring at him. “Let me help. Please.”

Ichigo climbs past the group and stands on the steepest boulder, braced against the cliffside. One by one he helps all six the rest of the way up and onto the wooden stairs that will get them back to ground level. When the flurry of bright parkas and inappropriate footwear have gone by, Ichigo climbs back down for Rukia: at under five feet, she is so short and the boulders are so high compared to her legs that she can barely get over them.

“My hero,” she teases as he helps her up the rocks. When Ichigo scowls, she waits until they’re on the stairs and then leans up on her tiptoes to kiss him. He softens against her immediately and one arm comes up around her waist to pull her close. They kiss until another tourist, a middle-aged woman dressed like she’s read the same guidebooks as them, comes up behind them and politely suggests that perhaps they could allow others to pass.

Blushing, Ichigo and Rukia pull apart and clatter down the stairs. There are more, smaller falls down a picturesque path next to a babbling brook and again they walk hand in hand. Rukia takes pictures the whole way. There is a miniature waterspout partway down the path where water sprays upwards out of the rocks.

Eventually, with clouds gathering overhead, Ichigo suggests that they walk back to their car. He hasn’t received any emergency alerts on his phone, but the clouds look vaguely ominous. Unfortunately, Ichigo is right to worry. They don’t even make it to Skogafoss – which is only half an hour further along the road – when it starts to snow, and hard.

“Did the weather report say anything about this?” Ichigo asks as he turns on his headlights and wipers. “There were barely any clouds an hour ago.”

Rukia just shakes her head. “It said there was a chance of snow, but nothing like this.”

“I can barely even see the road,” Ichigo mutters. The sudden winds buffet the car and his knuckles are turning white as he grips the steering wheel and slows down. They drive past a pair of cars that have pulled off to the side of the road, and Ichigo nearly hits a third that suddenly stops in front of him and pulls over as well.

“How close are we to Skogafoss or that museum you wanted to see?” he asks, shaken by the near-miss. “We need to get off the road.”

Rukia pulls her phone out and opens their custom map. “We’re five minutes from Skogafoss, just a few more from the Skogar Museum. If we can make it to the museum, we’ll be better off since we won’t need to shelter in our car.”

Ichigo just nods. They drive in silence for a while as the weather worsens. It takes them twice as long as Rukia predicted to reach Skogafoss, and they can see that it’s just an open parking area: there’s nowhere to shelter. By silent agreement they keep going, aiming for the museum. Even though it’s only a few more minutes it seems to take forever, with windshield wipers going at top speed and headlights trying to cut through the swathes of white snow. Ichigo is grateful that they rented a car with four-wheel drive.

Finally, they pull off the Ring Road and onto the drive for the museum. Ichigo parks as close to the museum buildings as he can. “Let’s get inside,” he suggests. They scramble out and lock the car before stumbling through the snow and into the warmth and light. There are many other travelers who clearly had the same idea: the building they’ve stumbled into is positively crowded. They buy a pair of tickets and walk around the Folk building while the wind roars overhead. After a while both of their stomachs are growling, and they edge into the crowded café. Ichigo buys sandwiches and hot tea while Rukia finds a table.

“Now what?” Ichigo asks when they are sipping their tea.

Rukia is already on her phone and connected to the café’s WiFi. “This is a fast-moving storm. If it doesn’t drop so much snow that we can’t drive on the road, we may still be able to get to Vik when it calms down.” She sighs. “I didn’t really want to skip Skogafoss, though.” 

Ichigo’s hand covers hers. “Vik’s only about half an hour from here, right? If the weather clears up tomorrow, we can come back before we head to Reynisfjara.”

“Alright. If the storm doesn’t stop, though, we may be stuck here.” Rukia is already tapping away on her phone. “There are a few small hotels here; we should be able to at least get _that_ far along the road if we have to. Assuming they have room.”

Ichigo makes a face. “Everyone else here is going to have the same idea. Do your weather app or the safety guys say anything about how long this is supposed to last?”

She checks her phone again. “Just that it’s fast and not that big.”

Thankfully, the storm blows out as quickly as it blows in and, in an hour, there are just flakes floating in the air and the sun is peeking out from behind the clouds. Rukia disposes of the remains of lunch and they go back out to the car. It’s covered in snow and Ichigo pulls a long-handled brush from the trunk to clear it off as much as he can.

“I think we still have enough sunlight for Skogafoss,” he says when they’re back in the car.

“Please? I bet it’s _gorgeous_ after this, and probably almost empty.”

Ichigo drops a kiss on her lips and starts the car, carefully maneuvering around other tourists to get out of the parking lot. Without the snow and wind they’re parked by the falls in less than five minutes, and Ichigo tucks his arm around Rukia as they walk along a shallow river toward the towering, heaving mass of water.

“Oh! Look, the mist and the sun are creating rainbows! Lots of them!” Rukia slips out of Ichigo’s grasp and grabs for her phone and selfie stick again.

Ichigo grins as he watches her run through the coating of snow to get closer to the water; his longer legs make up the distance between them without much effort.

They take photos of themselves kissing underneath the rainbows formed by the mist and the setting sun.


	3. Getting Social

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rukia starts posting their honeymoon photos online. Ichigo has mixed feelings.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Day 15, Social Media

They are on the way to Jokulsarlon when Rukia starts sharing their vacation photos on social media. She begins with photos from the lagoon that Ichigo doesn’t even know she took, followed by photos of them in Thingvellir, standing between the crack in the continental plates. Her third post consists of pictures of the Northern Lights. Karakura Town is nine hours ahead of Iceland, so even though it’s barely nine in the morning, their friends start liking her photos on Instagram immediately.

 **Ransanthemum** Steaming hot!

 **YuzuK** So pretty!!

 **Peachinthewoods** This looks like so much fun! Shiro never takes ME anywhere fun…

 **HitsugayaT** Great photos of the northern lights, Rukia. And we went to that fancy onsen two weeks ago, Momo.

Some of Rukia’s friends from college have also posted comments, and some part of her is pleased that so many are complimenting her husband. Orihime and Uryuu like the photos but do not comment, and Isshin – Rukia hadn’t realized that her father-in-law follows her on Instagram – asks whether they’re spending enough time in hotels to get started on giving him grandchildren.

 **SoccerKarin** Give it a rest, dad, they’re on their honeymoon

Rukia laughs softly and, once they have parked in the lot by the lagoon, shows Ichigo what she’s posted.

“You took pictures _there_?!” Ichigo shouts, his voice filling the car. The photo is of him in the lagoon, hair slick with conditioner and sticking up like he really _is_ the punk people used to accuse him of being. He is shirtless and his black swim shorts hang low on his hips as he leans back against the wooden slats behind him. His upper body glistens with water from the lagoon and his lips are pursed around a straw that leads to a strawberry-pink smoothie. One hand holds the smoothie while the other arm is braced on a low outcropping. Steam rises around him, making him look like something out of a fantasy.

“Yep. You looked really hot,” Rukia explains bluntly, and grins when Ichigo blushes red.

“As long as you think so,” Ichigo mumbles and he leans in to kiss her before they get out of the car.

This time of year, there are no boats on the water, but the glacier lagoon is full of gorgeous blue ice. Rukia takes photo after photo of the water and of the enormous icebergs that float by. She and Ichigo pose against the backdrop of dark water and white ice, cuddled against one another for warmth despite the puffy down coats they are both wearing.

They turn and walk past a bridge to the Diamond Beach. In the morning sunlight hundreds of pieces of ice sparkle brighter than diamonds. Some are small, no larger than Ichigo’s hand, but most are enormous: the size of a grown adult, or even of their rental car. The black sand beneath their feet crunches and shifts as they walk through the sparkling display hand-in-hand.

“Here, I want to take a picture of you with this one, Ichigo,” Rukia calls, and obediently he stands in front of a craggy ice formation that stands half a meter higher than he is tall. The selfie stick comes out again and she poses with him, then runs off toward another iceberg.

Unfortunately, the one she finds looks like a throne and Rukia starts to climb onto it. Ichigo loops an arm around her waist and pulls her back.

“Hey!”

“Remember the old woman who drifted into the water on something like this? No climbing, Rukia,” Ichigo chides and sets her down. “It’s too damn cold for me to swim out and rescue you.”

Rukia sticks her tongue out at him, but they find another, lower formation instead and Ichigo takes a picture of Rukia with the hood of her coat down and black hair flying in the wind as she poses before a rounded chunk of ice the size of a horse.

They run back to their car with teeth chattering and Ichigo turns the heat up as they continue northeast on the Ring Road. When Rukia can feel her fingers again she posts the photos from Seljalandsfoss and Skogafoss, both covered in snow and ice. The photo set from Seljalandsfoss includes a picture of Ichigo helping other tourists up a pathway of rough boulders, and Rukia has included in her caption, _My hero! Ichigo stopped to save some of the other tourists from themselves. Pro-tip: leave your converse at home._

Rukia takes the opportunity to charge their phones as Ichigo drives. They stop in Hofn for a quick lunch and Rukia posts that on Instagram as well, sharing pictures of their langoustine tempura and vegetable pizza.

The hike through their next stop, Stokksnes, isn’t so very long, even with Rukia stopping them to take photos of the breathtaking Vestrahorn. Ichigo makes her wear crampons again and she takes heart-stopping photos of the steep cliffs that surround a gorgeous lagoon. The drive further north is almost as beautiful, and Ichigo pulls over from time to time so that Rukia can take more photos. They run out of daylight before reaching Egilsstaðir, where they have planned to stay for the night.

Their hotel is near the waters of Lagarfljót although they don’t have a view of the lake from their room. They shower off and eat dinner early before collapsing upstairs in their room. Rukia posts a _mildly_ suggestive photo of the two of them curled up on the bed despite Ichigo’s token protest.

“I thought we agreed we wouldn’t share anything _racy_ ,” he mumbles against her shoulder as she finishes tapping the caption into her phone.

“I’m just showing how tired we are! We’re barely even _barefoot_ ,” Rukia retorts.

Ichigo looks at her skeptically. “We’re in our _nightclothes_ , and not much of them.” One thing they’ve learned about Iceland: the hotel rooms are always _warm_. Rukia is wearing a sleeveless tank top and shorts, and Ichigo has dispensed with a shirt altogether.

Rukia hits ‘Share’ and rolls to set the phone down on the nightstand. Then she rolls back to him and flutters her eyelashes. “Want me to make it up to you?”

Ichigo’s arm comes around her and he tugs her closer. “What did you have in mind?”

Her lips find his, and she murmurs into them, “I have a few ideas.”

What Rukia has in mind results in an alarm that they sleep through, and they don’t go downstairs for breakfast the next morning until somewhat later than they originally intended.

On their way to Seyðisfjörður, a small town that Ichigo read is one of the prettiest in the country, Rukia posts her photos of Vestrahorn and reads over the comments on her post from the hotel.

 **Ransanthemum** Now THIS looks more like a honeymoon. Sleep well, lovebirds.

 **Isshn1960** Ho ho ho! My son and my third daughter are making grandchildren for me!

 **KurosakiIchigo** Stop being a pervert on Rukia’s posts, goat chin!

“When were you even on your phone?” she asks as Ichigo navigates a particularly rough patch in the road.

“This morning while you were in the shower, midget. You know if you keep posting pictures like that, my dad’s going to have a nursery installed in our apartment by the time we get home.” Ichigo doesn’t take his eyes off the road as he speaks, though he does reach over and squeeze her hand to show that he isn’t annoyed.

Much later, after they have explored the town and fjord and are back on the Ring Road heading northwest toward Húsavík, Rukia is the one driving while Ichigo dozes. Unable to resist, she pulls over at a particularly scenic part of the road and before he can wake up, takes a picture of him with his head leaned up against the window and his eyes closed. She posts it on Instagram with the caption “My turn to drive” and then pulls back onto the road.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! The towns, natural features, and museums/attractions mentioned by name in this series are real places in Iceland that you can visit. It's such a beautiful country and while I know travel isn't in the cards for a lot of people right now, I highly recommend visiting if you can. I hope to go back someday.


End file.
